Time on the water with windsurfing is key – especially if you don’t live in a Trade Wind location and/or you’re not close to your chosen launch. It makes sense to therefore make sure all the Is are dotted and Ts crossed in relation to your windy kit. What are we talking about? Read on to find out…
It can be tricky to judge which size to choose when moving on to new kit. Board sizes are indicated in volume, fin sizes in cm (depth) and sail sizes in m². But is that correct? Not really and it’s not consistent either. Volumes and surfaces are hard to measure for correctness and we´ve seen quite a bit of variation between brands over the years, even if nowadays CAD programs will give the designer the correct figure. Rocker lines or foil depths are hardly ever given but at least can be measured. Widths, depths or luff lengths are nearly always given and can be measured easily for which they are usually pretty correct.
In times where consumerism and instant gratification is booming we regularly get frowned eyebrows when we tell people the waiting list for a new Witchcraft board is 3 to 4 months. Being used to instant gratification buying something new makes them feel good and they want it right away. Many gadgets are just a few mouse clicks from delivery and often arrive the next day or in store there and then. This means, however, the item needs to be in stock behind the scenes and the retail chain needs to guess what will get sold. If they guess it wrong items remain unsold and will be dumped eventually. This is bad for the environment and economy at large. Losses on stock need to be made up elsewhere.
Pics: Geraint Roberts
As many will know Witchcraft specialise in making high quality, hard wearing windsurfing equipment that stands up to the harshest of environments. Our home base of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, is a tough place to exist if you’re a windsurf board or sail – not just the strong sun but also rocky shorelines do their level best to destroy kit on a regular basis.
Another trait of the WC brand is our penchant for a wave or two. With many hard charging wave sailors owning our gear over time a reputation has grown within this area of the sport. Just take a look at WC head honch Bouke who loves a bit of juice! And yet, there’s more to Witchcraft than being a one trick pony…
